PORT TOWNSEND — In the 1930s, they were called hobos — men who had lost their jobs, lost their families and drifted from town to town, many riding the rails.
When they were hungry, they knocked on kitchen doors, offering to work in exchange for a sandwich.
Now, they are called homeless, people whose lives have been turned upside down by circumstance and emptied out into the street.
With nothing to hold them, they hit the road, looking for a place to start over, traveling by car, which often doubles as shelter.
And they don’t travel alone.
“You’d wouldn’t believe how many show up with infants,” said Kathy Morgan, property manager for Olympic Community Action Programs.
For the past two years, Morgan has helped 150 displaced people, two-thirds of them children, find permanent housing in Jefferson County through REACH — or Rental Education Accessing Community Housing — a program funded by the state.
In the current economy, an increasing number of homeless people are showing up at her door, Morgan said, while funding for REACH is ending.
Rotary Club
It’s a door that the Rotary Club of Port Townsend is hoping to keep open.
What they have propping it open is a check for $10,000 to fund the program for an another year from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
What they need: matching funds from the community so they can cash the check.
“The program can assist 20 additional families in the coming year if we meet this goal,” said David Stanko, the Rotary club president.
Finding people who need help won’t be problem, Morgan said, because they keep on coming.
They are of all ages, from all walks of life, from all over.
Some have lost their jobs or their businesses and have run through their savings. Others survived a devastating illness like cancer that left them alive but penniless.
‘Could be your neighbor’
“They could have been your neighbor,” Morgan said. “It doesn’t take that long if you have no family for support.”
It was a comment by Carrie Ehrhardt, principal of Port Townsend High School, that 15 of her students do not have a permanent place of residence that got the Rotarians thinking about helping the homeless as their focus this year, said Steve Rafoth, a club member.
Wanting to know what resources are available for homeless teens, Rotary members went to Joe Carey, commander of the American Legion post, which hosts an emergency winter shelter in its basement.
“We found out that it only serves adults, no children,” Rafoth said, “and that’s mostly men.”
Going to OlyCAP, they met Morgan and found out about REACH, a state-funded program whose funding was about to expire.
At the same time, the club received a bulletin from the district Rotary announcing that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was offering $100,000 in grants to Rotary clubs to fund sustainable ways to help homeless families.
The Port Townsend Rotary put two and two together and applied, with Carla Caldwell writing the grant. It was approved in March.
Trying to match grant
If the Port Townsend Rotary Club is able to match this grant, it is eligible to apply again to the foundation, Rafoth said, for amounts that double each year.
The budget for the first year’s grant includes $5,000 in rent assistance, but the grant carries out the sustainable intent of the Gates program by funding Morgan’s job, helping people overcome barriers to renting, such as credit history.
As OlyCAP’s property manager, Morgan oversees 57 housing units for seniors, people with low income and people with disabilities, but all are full with a waiting list, she said.
“It’s hard to get back into housing without resources unless you have someone to advocate for you,” Morgan said.
The Port Townsend Rotary also plans to buy a food warmer, stove, dishwasher and freezer for the emergency winter shelter’s kitchen.
Right now, churches and volunteer groups provide hot meals that are cooked elsewhere and brought in, according to George Logg, a program manager with OlyCAP.
OlyCAP supports the shelter SEmD which is run by an ecumenical community group called COAST SEmD with screening and intake services, hiring and monitoring staff and supporting services for guests, many of whom are veterans.
“We are also looking at other improvements at the shelter, like storage areas, bunks and mattresses,” Rotarian Rafoth said.
Helping families
But what the Rotary club is really excited about is helping families, Rafoth said, by leveraging the grant money and working with community partners to break the cycle of homelessness.
It’s a huge need, Morgan said, one that the community needs to meet in order to help people reclaim their lives and become productive residents.
“It’s amazing how quickly they take off once their basic needs are taken care of,” Morgan said.
People can help raise matching funds for the Gates grant in three ways, Stanko said.
One is by attending a Rotary dinner and auction on Saturday, April 30, at the Northwest Maritime Center, 431 Water St.
Chef Arran Stark is carrying out the evening’s Caribbean theme in the dinner, which will be preceded by a reception with live music, drinks and hors d’oeuvres.
The evening begins at 5:30 p.m.
For tickets, phone Caldwell at 360-301-5636.
People who cannot attend the dinner but wish to contribute can send a check to Rotary Club of Port Townsend, 2023 E. Sims Way, Port Townsend, WA 98368. Mark the check “Gates Foundation matching fund.”
A third way to help: Buy a raffle ticket. The club is raffling off a seven-day cruise on Holland America to the Caribbean or the destination of one’s choice.
For more information about the dinner and the raffle, visit www.porttownsendrotary.org. #
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Jennifer Jackson is a freelance writer and photographer living in Port Townsend. She writes a column in the Peninsula Daily News each Wednesday. To contact her, phone 360-379-5688 or email jjackson@olypen.com.
